Old Man Encounter, #4

There's more I need to blog about, but for now, I'll share this brief story.

For those of you who aren't aware, I have this sign that only old men can see, that tells them that I'm a good person to approach and compliment and generally talk to. And because I'm a smuck, I generally let them talk to me (some strange thing about respecting your elders and all that, even if they are are crazy).

Since coming to Sweden I've had three old men encounters.

Now, I would like to add a fourth, that happened while I was in Oslo.

So on Friday I'm walking down Main Street in Oslo (a wonderfully touristy place that is a pedestrian street) and I stop at a light and suddenly I feel a hand on my arm. I jump, turn and some older man is speaking to me in Norwegian (which is close enough to Swedish that it sounds familiar, but not close enough that I can understand anything he is saying.) Throughly startled, I respond, "Lo siento, Ya talar bara lite Swedish," managing in one sentence to mangle three languages.

The man gave a long slow blink (I'm fairly certain he thought I was a native- at least, I didn't have a map out), and asked, in English, "Where are you from?" I have to say, I think I throughly disarmed him. "The States" I reply, as I realize what I had just done. (again, showing how mixed up I've become, Americans don't call the States the States, only English speakers not from American do that)

Well, he recovers. "I want to give you a compliment."

Me: "Ok."

Him: "I'm not trying to be a... scary man, but you have a... nice... a good way of walking. I noticed as you were walking."

Me: *wonders* Does that mean he was looking at my butt? "Uhhh, thank you."

And then the light changed, and I hurried off.

I don't know if it's just a cultural thing, and an older generation of European Males have it hard wired into their systems to give women compliments, because I haven't noticed younger men doing this. I can't just write them off as creepy old men, because this one, similar to the others except for Crochet man, seemed sane and, well, rather charming in the way that only old men can be. But it does provide a sense of amusement, and I have to say, the rest of the day I was more aware of how I walked.

I suppose, when it all comes down to it, the whole thing makes me smile.